The Snake and the Chrysanthemum
by nessie6
Summary: He hadn't meant to save her, but this unusually generous act was the beginning of everything for him. She made him feel. Betraying Soul Society would've been much easier if he had just let her die. A series of short, drabble-like oneshots. Gin/Ran.
1. The Beginning of Everything

_Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach, or Urahara and Gin would have more screen time being devilishly clever and sexy._

_A/N- Yes, yes, we've all seen this part of the story before. But I must start at the beginning—I can't just start off in the middle of their story now, can I? _

_A review is always appreciated! _

**Chapter One- The Beginning of Everything**

He hadn't meant to save her. Gin had learned to ignore bodies that appeared to be lying still on the ground. If they were dead, there was nothing anybody could do for them. If they were living…

Well, they robbed you blind and left you bleeding crimson.

So when he saw her lying there, Gin, walking barefoot on the hard, cracked ground and clutching an armful of sparse, dried fruit, looked resolutely the other way.

He kept his eyes squinted, a habit he had picked up to keep the blowing dust out of his eyes. He also found it easier to steal necessities when one couldn't read your intentions in your eyes.

There was a small breeze, and it ruffled with his silver hair. It also amplified a small moan that he wouldn't have been able to hear had it not carried it to him.

Gin took a few more steps forward, when he heard it again. He stopped, and half turned towards the body he could vaguely see in the distance.

His stomach growled loudly, and he almost kept walking away, but something made him turn around towards the figure.

When he was within twenty feet of it he saw that it was a girl.

Cautiously, he shuffled ever closer to her, keeping his senses sharp in case she was just the bait of an ambush. There wasn't any particular place to hide, as the trees were well spread out, and there was no vegetation. One could never be too careful, though, in the 79th District of Rukongai.

Her lids were half closed, and he could see that she had eyes the color of the sky, on the rare days it wasn't dreary and gray. She had short red-gold hair and her clothes needed stitching. She was breathing wearily through her mouth. She didn't even seem to notice him.

Gin's stomach clenched mercilessly, but he ignored his painful hunger as he stooped down over the girl, holding one of the dried fruits he had to her lips.

"Eat," he demanded.

She blinked, her blue eyes flickering up towards him.

"If you can faint from hunger, then that means you have it, right?" Gin asked her, feeling an odd sort of hopeful twinge in his chest. "The power?"

There was a slight, momentary pause, before the girl said, "You have it too?" Her voice was slightly hoarse.

"Yeah, me too," and Gin felt his spirits rise slightly. He had never met anybody his age that was just like him. "I'm Ichimaru Gin. Pleased to meet ya."

* * *

Rangiku lost count on how many days it had been since she late ate. She had managed to find a sip of water here and there, but this area was so dry that it was very difficult and energy-consuming.

Her legs were trembling, her tongue was swollen in her mouth, her stomach was a constant ache, and her head no longer felt as if it was there.

She stumbled, but managed to catch herself before she fell.

She stumbled a second time, this time catching herself on the ground with her hands.

The third time she stumbled, it was accompanied by an onslaught of dizziness. This time, instead of straightening right back up, she stayed where she was.

Vaguely, Rangiku felt herself come to. The scorching sun was no longer in the sky; it had gone back to its usual dark gray, showing that it must be past evening. How much time had gone by as she lay on the hard ground? It had to be hours, maybe even days. Rangiku had never bothered to keep track of time. She didn't even know her own birthday.

It was with a sort of half-heartedness that Rangiku willed herself to sit up. However, the only part of her body she could move without too much effort was her eyes.

Rangiku gave up.

Something was shoved into her face. She also heard someone demanding her to eat.

The only sign of surprise that she showed was blinking. She caught sight of a smiling face above her.

"If you can faint from hunger, then that means you have it, right?" The smiling boy asked her, his eyes narrowed to slits, but his expression remained soft and pleasant. "The power?"

Inwardly, Rangiku was stunned. Power? Yes, she knew she was special, knew that there was a reason she needed things that some of the other souls she had been unfortunate to encounter didn't need. Or maybe they did, and that was why they had become evil.

Swallowing, trying to bring up some wetness in her mouth, she asked with difficulty, "You have it too?"

The boy still smiled, his strange silver hair blowing gently across his forehead. "Yeah, me too. I'm Ichimaru Gin. Pleased to meet ya."

Before Rangiku could stop herself, she blurted, "Gin? What a weird name."

Then she felt a stab of fear, and she quickly looked towards him in apology, fearing what he would do. Gin hadn't stopped smiling, however. He still held the piece of fruit in front of her face.

"Eat, you'll feel better," he told her, holding the food even closer to her. For a moment, Rangiku didn't know what to do. She felt at the ground beneath her palms for a moment, and with conviction, she tried to sit up as best as she could.

He did nothing to help her, but he waited patiently, the soft smile still present on his face. Rangiku wondered why he kept his eyes closed, but she didn't ask. She didn't have enough energy, and she didn't want to unintentionally offend him again.

When she finally managed to sit straight, she took the fruit from him with a shaky hand and ate it hesitantly. The juices had long disappeared from it, but she was happy to eat anything at all. She noticed for the first time that he clutched an armful of the same fruit to his dirty chest.

"I'm Matsumoto Rangiku," she introduced herself finally, and felt a twinge in her chest as his smile widened. She put the piece of fruit to her lips again.

"C-can I have more?" she asked hesitantly when she finished the one she was eating.

He shook his head. "Not now. Later, or you'll regret it. An' these took me hours to find. They have to be eaten only when we really need to."

Rangiku felt his stare as she struggled to climb to her feet, although she felt better.

"D-do you have any water?" She asked. He stared at her for a moment, his lips still quirked slightly.

There was a moment of silence, then— "No, I didn't find any today."

He then turned and started walking away. Rangiku felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. She didn't want to be left alone!

Gin was twenty feet away from her when he stopped and turned slightly. "You can come wit' if you want."

Rangiku took an intake of breath, hardly daring to believe…

She made her way as fast as she could after him, stumbling slightly. He had already started walking again.

A small smile reached Rangiku's lips for the first time in a very long time.


	2. Useless

_A/N- Ah, sorry it took so long to update. I haven't really been into Bleach lately (I'll get back into it when the Bount Arc is over with). Besides, I've discovered Naruto and I love it (except the fillers…death to Naruto fillers!)_

**Chapter Two- Useless**

Rangiku shivered slightly, curling her body up into the fetal position in order to regain some of the warmth that had left her. She was awake, but she kept her eyes closed, laying on her side and rubbing her upper arms vigorously. It was towards the end of October, and although there was yet to be snow, the weather had become frightfully chilly.

She clenched her jaw tightly, her teeth aching, in order to stop them from chattering.

Something was dropped on the floor near her face. Her eyes snapped open and saw a bundle tied with string and a pair of clothed feet; slowly, she looked up and saw Gin's ever-smiling face.

"Put those on and move around, Rangiku," Gin told her, "You'll warm up faster."

Shivering violently, she sat up slowly, doing her best to tuck her bare-feet under herself to keep them warm; her sandals had fallen apart a week ago.

The bundle consisted of a new set of clothes, wrapped around a pair of stockings and shoes. Excitedly, she stood up quickly and started stripping, paying no mind to Gin, who just looked at her for a moment and then turned away to restart the fire.

"You let the fire burn out again," he said, slightly reprimanding. All Rangiku could do was shrug, admiring the warmth the new set of clothes brought her. They were by no means new, but they were a thicker material than her old set and rather less frayed and patched. Her shoes were not new either, but they seemed like they would last awhile before they fell completely apart.

"You used the last matches," came Rangiku's delayed answer, and she went back to hugging her arms again and hopping slightly on the spot to keep warm. Gin turned and sent her a rather exasperated look.

"Don' you know how to start one without matches?"

"You always made the fires, Gin," she answered, still rubbing her arms. He stared at her for a moment.

"Hug your chest, you'll stay warmer that way," he said. An apologetic smile was now on his face, "Sorry, I'll teach ya now."

And so Gin showed her the basics of starting a fire without any flint, and it took nearly an hour before she got the hang of it. Rangiku was afraid that Gin was annoyed that it took her so long to learn it, and this made her come to other realizations. She was utterly useless.

"Gin, you do everything," she said softly. "You get our food, you get me clothes, and you always make the fire…so…let me be of some use from now on."

Gin was silent for a moment. "We'll take turns with building the fire and the chores but…let me get the food and supplies for now."

"But…"

"Jus' trust me on this."

Rangiku hesitated, and then she uttered a soft "Ok," before letting the matter drop.

Rangiku trusted Gin, and she trusted he had a reason for this one thing.

* * *

_A/N- This chapter is what the title says…useless. Sorry. Please review though, and let me know what I can do! _

_Will probably be lots of skipping ahead for the timeline here. So a month has gone by since Gin saved Rangiku. _

_For those of you who may be Naruto fans—I have a new poll up! 'Who would you rather Shikamaru paired up with?' Please go and vote! I'm actually rather interested to know the outcome __: )_


	3. Never Leave

_Disclaimer- I do not own the characters or Bleach in any way. Tite Kubo does. _

**Chapter Three- Never Leave**

"Hey, Gin?" Rangiku called out, hitching the makeshift bag that they had made out of her torn clothes higher on her back as she carefully made her way on the uneven ground.

Further ahead, Gin paused, one hand holding the strap of his back that slung on his shoulder as he turned to face her, a slight smile on his face. "Yeah?"

"Why are we moving?"

"Cause it's dangerous to stay in one place for long in this district."

"Where are we gonna live?"

"Dunno. Prob'ly a cave for a while. If we move into the upper districts maybe we can get a shack or somethin'."

"…Gin?"

"What?"

"What day is it?"

Gin's head jerked back slightly, as if surprised by the question, but his smile only widened. "Tuesday." He turned and started walking again, and Rangiku followed.

"I mean the date," she corrected , stumbling slighly on the ground, but she held back any complaints. Her feet were starting to ache.

"November 17th."

"And—and what was the day you saved me?"

This time, Gin stopped completely and fully turned to face her. His smile was still on his face, but it was a smile of bemusement. "September 29th, why?"

Rangiku bit her lip, looking at the ground as she caught up to him. "I just..I just never kept track of the days. I don't know anything about myself. When things happened…how old I am."

"Is that all?"

And with that, he turned around and started walking again. Inexplicably, Rangiku felt tears burning her eyes.

"I just—I just…you know everything! B-but I'm useless and I'm a burden and I know _nothing_ and—" Here, she had to swallow, because her voice had cracked.

"Y' know your name." Gin said simply, his back still facing her. "You're Matsumoto Rangiku. And I had to _learn _things, Rangiku. I didn' jus' appear outta nowhere knowing everythin'. If y' hang around a little longer, you'll learn everythin' I know."

She choked on a sob. "Oh Gin, I won't _ever _leave!"

He turned his head to the side, so that she could see his profile. She was sure he was looking at her out of the corner of his eye, although there really wasn't any way to tell.

"Then you need a birthday."

Rangiku stumbled to a halt, her mouth agape and her eyes wide. "A-a b-birthday?"

The smile on his face grew wider. "Sure. Not a lot to celebrate. Might as well have a day to."

Although she could feel her heart thumping in her chest from excitement still, she felt the inexplicable twist in her stomach when she realized something.

"But Gin, I don't remember—"

"I'll give ya one. September 29th. The day I found ya."

Rangiku couldn't hold back the smile that blossomed on her face. "I have a birthday," she said, as though this very idea astounded yet excited her. "Gin…when's yours?"

"September 10th."

Rangiku's face fell. "I need to get you something for your birthday!"

_You did, _Gin thought, _I'm not lonely anymore. _The smile on his face softened."You're here, ain't ya? 'S good not bein' alone any more."

"I won't ever leave," Rangiku whispered, grabbing Gin's thin hand impulsively. "Never."

"An' I won' either," Gin grinned back.

* * *

_Please R&R and let me know what you think! Sorry if these drabbles come few and far in between, but they're really off the top of my head. _

_And SEE? I'm setting up for when Gin starts leaving all the time! Yaay Progress!_


	4. Whispers

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Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach or the characters. Tite Kubo does.

**Chapter Four- Whispers**

It was happening more often now. At first, it had been a faint buzz at the deepest recesses of Gin's mind, nothing that made itself known unless he was sleeping or it was utterly silent. Then the buzzing turned into a humming, followed by murmuring—a now distinct male voice yet the words could not be distinguished.

Then he started hearing words. Whispers. They would strike him at the oddest of times, when he was gathering food for Rangiku and himself, when Rangiku was talking to him while they did chores and she would ask him why he was spacing out…he had learned to ignore it while he was around her, but when he was alone it was much harder to.

The voice was a hissing, lilting one, yet at the same time it was smooth and seductive, drawing Gin closer and closer to its desires.

_Call my name. Ssay it. Ssay it._

The voice mainly disturbed his sleep, bringing him many sleepless nights as he tossed and turned on the threadbare bedroll that he slept on. Rangiku would whimper at his side a few feet away, and Gin would immediately cease his disturbed movements, not wanting to wake her and ask him all sorts of questions.

_You're Ichimaru Gin. I know your name, why won' ya call mine? Ssay it. Ssay it. _

Gin sat up, rubbing his tired eyes with his bony fingers, glancing briefly to his right to see that Rangiku was sound asleep, snoring lightly. He stood up, putting his shoes on at the entrance, and left the little cave they had made as a makeshift home until they could find a proper one.

He walked—kept walking. His stomach was rolling in waves of hunger, his arms wrapped around his abdomen in a futile attempt to stem the pain…he was so hungry, hungrier than he had ever been…

_Ssay my name. Call me out. With me you can be powerful, you won' be hungry anymore. Jusss ssay it. My name is - - - - - - - _

The voice, snakelike yet strangely inviting, coiling around every crevice of his mind and sinking its teeth in like roots—anchoring itself forever to Gin. Gin wanted very much to obey the voice, wanted the power that it was offering him. He was hearing it more clearly each time it spoke, each day he could feel himself closer to discovering its name.

Yet its name was still allusive, and it would remain so. Gin sighed, tired and hungry, and walked towards the direction of the village five miles away. His hand went into the inside pocket of his clothes, balling around the small sharp dagger.

_Go on. Go on. Ssay it. I can give you power. Ssay it. My name is - - - - - - - _

As he made his way into the little village, where those who wanted to live stayed inside at night, Gin squinted his eyes tighter, fixing his smile on his face.

When Rangiku woke up the next morning, she discovered that Gin was gone.

* * *

_A/N- I realized that I should probably have them discover that there's more to their powers than just hunger. Gin's hungrier because he's becoming more aware and he's getting closer to discovering Shinsou. Yaay progress!_

_Please go to my profile and vote my poll! It's favorite Crack!pairings ! I just listed a bunch that I've heard of (they're all het) and you get to choose 3! So please go vote on those! _

…_and review! :D_


	5. Alone

_Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach or its characters in any way. They belong to Tite Kubo. _

_A/N- Well, friends, I am heartily sorry for the delay in this chapter. But, with the recent chapters and the vast amount of Gin in them (yaaay!), I have a few chapters written for you. This is a continuation of the last chapter. Enjoy!_

**Chapter Five- Alone**

Rangiku had woken up to find the sleeping pallet next to hers empty.

This was not unusual in itself so without suspicion, Rangiku sat up and languidly stretched, a large yawn splitting her face. She rubbed a bleary blue eye with one of her fists, slow awareness beginning to seep through her.

"Gin?" she called, wondering if he was out gathering food. Her eyes shifted to the basket they kept near the wall, noticing a much smaller wrapped loaf of bread still there. She frowned, getting slowly to her feet and pacing to the cave entrance, peering out at the frosty outside.

"Gin?" she called again. He was nowhere to be found.

"Hmm," she grunted thoughtfully, feeling rather unconcerned. Gin would probably be back in a few hours; sometimes he disappeared during the day, usually coming back with food and drink, sometimes cloth to patch the worn fabric of their clothes.

So Rangiku went about her day normally, humming as she straightened their meager belongings in the cave they had decided to stay in for a couple days, in their search for an abandoned home.

She hummed mindlessly as she spent the day collecting firewood—small twigs and branches that she had managed to find in the sparse area.

She continued humming as she checked the trap Gin had set the night before, finding a dead squirrel hanging from a small sapling. She untied it and brought it back to prepare for dinner.

The brightness in the sky was starting to darken, but Rangiku determinably hummed to herself, to distract from the thought that Gin should've been back by now. She set aside the pathetic amount of meat she had cooked for them both, purposely leaving a larger portion than what she herself had eaten. Gin was always sacrificing more of his share for her, and she thought him skinny enough as it was—he needed some meat on his bones.

The sky had darkened and stars twinkled like diamonds sewn onto a large black velvet blanket, and she sat near the entrance, her legs folded to her chest, arms wrapped around them. She rocked slightly, determinably humming, her melody broken by the crack of her tired throat. Her eyes remained open, watching for a small skinny figure to walk into view.

She fought as her eyelids grew heavy over her eyes, yet the fight was in vain.

Rangiku fell asleep sitting, her arms wrapped around her legs, her chin resting on her knee.

When she woke up the next morning, she was still alone.

* * *

_A/N- Guys. PLEASE review. I understand that not everybody will review that has this just in their alerts, but there are quite a few of you that has this story in their favorites that haven't dropped in to review once. It's just frustrating as a writer. WHY is this in your favorites? What would you like to see in the future? I know these are just drabbles, but it's nice to be encouraged once in awhile, and I do respond to all signed reviews. I apologize if I sound like I'm whining. _


	6. Beg and Ye Shall Receive

_Disclaimer- I do not own Gin Ichimaru or Rangiku Matsumoto. Or Bleach. They belong to Tite Kubo. _

_A/N- Oh maaaan, the spoilers for chapter 414 have me SO EXCITED! I'm kinda holding out on writing some of these chapters, because I'm waiting for more background on Gin and Matsumoto, since I feel it's coming up really soon. Hopefully -.- _

**Chapter 6- Beg and Ye Shall Receive**

"Gin, will you take me to the village? I want to see the market," Rangiku asked her companion one day, watching as he cleaned a fish with a small knife—she didn't ask where he got it, nor did she particularly want to know how.

"Eh?" he paused, looking up briefly, his eyes squinted nearly shut as usual. "Why would you want to do that?"

Rangiku sighed in frustration. "I'm _bored_," she whined, kicking petulantly at a small stone. "I want to see people. We're not on the outskirts anymore, I know there's a village nearby. Take me _pleeease_!"

Gin was still frowning, bloody knife poised over the filleted fish. "You don't want to see _those _people," he reasoned, his customary smile growing back on his face as he turned to finish preparing his dinner. "Why don' you learn how to do this, will ya?"

"I _know _how, Gin," Rangiku growled, stamping one foot. "I _ate _my lunch already, if you didn't notice. If you won't take me I'll just go by myself!"

"No," Gin said immediately, throwing a frown over his shoulder, as she had been pacing restlessly and was now somewhat behind him. "Not when ya don' know how to handle bein' 'round crowds….'specially crowds of vermin. We're still in the 79th District, Rangiku."

"We've been together for almost three months, Gin, and I still haven't seen hide nor hair of anybody else," she rubbed her arms, fighting the chill of an oncoming winter. "We need warmer stuff anyway, or we'll freeze to death. We're lucky the snow's so late."

When he started humming, in a manner so deliberate it was obvious he was doing it to annoy her, Rangiku indignantly crossed her arms across her chest, "It's not like you don't disappear and leave me for days anyway," she huffed sullenly, "how much protection can _you _be?"

"You would've _died _without me," he hissed, yet his face still maintained its grin. Rangiku scowled at him, although she said nothing in reply to his truth.

A few moments of silence passed, broken only by the faint sounds of Gin cutting up his fish and Rangiku's irritable huffing. Finally, he stopped in his task, let out a sigh and said, "Fine, we'll go tomorrow."

This exclamation was immediately followed by a loud squeal and a furious clapping of hands, as Rangiku jumped a few times on the spot. With a large grin, she leaped forward, draping herself over his back, the back of his head pushed against her chest as she hugged him tightly from behind.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she squealed again in happiness, and Gin sighed in exasperation, yet secretly reveling in the warmth her hug brought.

* * *

_A/N- And so the infamous Matsumoto hug is introduced. Thank you for everybody that reviewed! The next section's partially written out so that should be up some time in a week or so. _

_R&R!_


	7. Danger

_Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach or Gin Ichimaru or Rangiku Matsumoto. Tite Kubo does. _

_A/N- Not the happiest with this chapter, but oh well. Here it is. _

_P.S.- Any words squished together are NOT MY FAULT. I'll go to read it on regular format and find these errors that certainly weren't there when I typed it out. It's really annoying. _

_AND OMG A FLASHBACK! So we know...A LITTLE about what Gin's motives were...although I'm still confused about some parts of Chp. 416. _

**Chapter 7- Danger**

Rangiku was practically skipping, she was so happy. Finally, Gin was taking her to one of the markets in the district!

Throughout most of their acquaintance, they had stuck to the outskirts of the district, moving here and there, avoiding any signs of soul habitations. Rangiku vaguely remembered being surrounded by many people at one point in her life before Gin—but she couldn't remember if she liked it or not.

Still, even if she hadn't, she had Gin now, and it must be loads better when there was someone with her to enjoy it than when she was alone, right?

Rangiku blew hair from her mouth, giggling at the way her breath vaporized in the cold air; everything made her feel giddy. It was the beginning of December now, and the days were much cooler—frost-bitten grass crackled beneath their poorly shod feet. Skipping and hopping and jumping down the barely-used pathway to the village warmed Rangiku up, and so she continued to do just that.

She twirled so she was facing Gin, walking giddily backwards, her hands folded behind her. He was following her at a more sedate pace, his ever-present soft smile adorning his rather gaunt features. They hadn't had much luck with food lately besides the meager fish they caught the day before.

"Giiin," she sang, "what's it _like?_ Are there many interesting people?"

"Funniest buncha sorry bastards you ever saw," he replied evenly, smile growing slightly.

"Gin, I'm sure you exaggerate," she smiled, too excited at the prospect of seeing new bodies and faces than to be cautious.

Gin didn't reply, but for the next twenty minutes they walked in near silence, punctured only by the sounds of Rangiku's exuberant steps and happy singing.

When the village was in sight, Gin slowed his steps down, before coming to a complete halt. Rangiku was still skipping a few steps ahead of him (more to keep herself warm than by excitement now) before she noticed he had stopped. Her face fell.

"You didn't change your mind, did you?" she asked him, a small trace of annoyance creeping into her voice. Gin shook his head, walking slowly towards her.

"Listen, Rangiku," he told her, making sure that his face was devoid of any trace of a smile, showing her how serious he was, "don' draw much attention to yourself, 'kay?"

"Fine, fine," she waved dismissively, continuing on her path, although much more sedately.

Their arrival at the village was met with much excitement from Rangiku, and wariness from Gin, who kept his hand upon the knife hidden on his person at all times.

"Oh Gin, look at this!" Rangiku exclaimed excitedly, poking at the fabrics laid out on display at a stand. They were not very expensive or even good material, but they were new and looked warm, and that was what drew them to Rangiku. She experimentally ran her finger along some rough pink fabric—softer than her own clothes.

"_Get your filthy hands off my goods this instant, you varmint!" _the stand's owner yowled upon turning around and spotting a grubby little kid poking at her goods, Rangiku jumped and fearfully withdrew her hand, her eyes wide, "_Get away from here before I skin you alive!´_

Hastily bowing, Rangiku apologized over and over again, before Gin forcefully pushed her passed the stand, keeping his hand on the small of her back, the other gripping his knife harder.

"Didn't I say careful?" he said through slightly gritted teeth, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. "When they get like that, just run away. Don' bother 'pologizin'. They don' deserve it anyway."

"Oh," Rangiku said in a small voice, her excitement at the prospect of looking through the market now evaporated. "Well…let's get what we came here for."

Gin shook his head, "Just look around for stuff you like, I'll get it later—you drew enough attention from the vendors already."

"But how—" Rangiku trailed off, confused, but Gin just shook his head slightly, the ever present smile on his face.

They spent nearly an hour scanning all of the stands, with Gin nicking a piece of food here and there, from stands, from baskets carried by people; his movement was so smooth and natural that no one was the wiser. He handed some to Rangiku and they ate quickly as they walked.

"We should get headin' back now—" Gin began to say, but he trailed off as a great shadow loomed over them.

"Wass this we got here?" A very tall, burly man sneered down at them, his skin pockmarked and his teeth crooked and yellow. "A pretty girl?"

Gin stiffened beside her, and Rangiku froze, her eyes widening as a stab of fear shot through her heart. The man lunged forward and grabbed Rangiku by the wrist, pulling her towards him. Rangiku let out a suprised yelp.

"Why don' you come wit me and find out what's it's like to be with a man," he leered down at her, and Rangiku struggled, crying out as his grip on her small wrist tightened painfully. "I can make you a woman."

Suddenly, however, there was a flash—a glint of metal—the sickening sound of flesh tearing, of liquid splattering on the ground.

Then there was screaming.

Rangiku barely registered that the man had let go of her wrist—and was now clutching at his own, screaming in pain.

Blood poured from the wound, where his wrist was, tendons were severed, and bone was visible through the large gash inflicted on him. The red liquid was oozing rapidly from the vicious cut that had been inflicted by Gin, coating the man's arm and the hand gripping his wound.

She turned to look at Gin, noticing the slight smile that adorned his face, a few specks of blood marring his visage. How could he smile at such a thing?

He turned to her, smile still on his face, and said, almost sedately, "How about we head back now?"

And they ran.

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_Reviewreviewreview! Next chatper will be up next week, it's written, just gotta fix it. And it's loads better, probably my favorite so far :D_

_Those of you who like Inuyasha, go visit my profile and vote on my poll!_


	8. Reassurance

_Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach or its characters, Tite Kubo does. _

_A/N- Just so you guys know, this is probably my favorite chapter :)_

**Chapter 8- Reassurance**

Rangiku sighed as she gazed around at their surroundings, the open air and darkness made her feel vulnerable. The fire crackled merrily before her. She hugged her knees to her chest, her right hand gently caressing the bruises around her wrist

"Gin?" she called to the boy crouching across from her quietly, almost timidly.

"Yeah?" he looked up from the idle scratches he was making in the dirt with a twig. The smile on his face was soft, inviting, comforting.

"Would," Rangiku hesitated, almost afraid to his reaction to her question, but she needed to know. "Would you ever—would you ever hurt me? Like that man did?"

The smile wiped off his face completely, to be replaced by an inquisitive look. He was silent for a few moments, his head cocked slightly in thought. Sometimes she'd wish he'd open his eyes, to show her their color, what he was feeling. Even with his open face he was hard to read.

"Rangiku," he said finally, seriously, after a long pause, "if the only way to prevent ya getting' hurt worse or killed was to break your leg, I'd break your leg."

"B-but—" She sputtered in shock, eyes widening in betrayal, not completely understanding what he could mean.

"Say if you was goin' to go out and do somethin' stupid that would get yourself killed," he tried to explain, "I'd be willin' to hurt ya so you _wouldn't _die," and again he was smiling at her, a sad smile that curved at his lips softly, "It'd be awfully lonely if I go an' let my only friend get herself killed."

The sharp sting of tears met her eyes, and she waiting until he looked back down to the ground to continue his scratches that she quickly wiped them away with the back of her dirty hand, sniffing as she did so.

Silence passed between the two for a few moments, the crackling of the fire and the _scratch, scratching_ of Gin's twig against the ground the only sound perpetrating the silence. Finally, Rangiku sighed, and laid down, pulling her small, thin blanket over her form and pillowing her head on her hands.

"Gin?" she hesitated again, but the shiver that quivered through her body strengthened her resolve. "Would you sleep near me tonight?"

"…Yeah."

He crawled the several feet towards her, throwing the stick in the fire as he passed it. Lying down next to her, he scooted back until his back pressed to hers, grabbing the blanket and pulling the rest of it over his own small, lanky body. The heat radiating from their contact warmed them.

And Rangiku felt safe.

* * *

_A/N- As always, please review!_


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